Tracker-bar for self-playing musical instruments.



P. WIRSGHING. TRACKER BAR FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1910. v

' 1,074,335, Patented Sept. 30,1913

W '4 E M55555. 7 Z 5 UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE.

PHILIP? WIRSCHING, OF SALEM, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WIRSCHING ORGAN I COMPANY, OF SALEM, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO,

Specification of Letters Patent.

TRACKER-BAR FOR SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Patented Sept.30, 191s.

Application filed January 3, 1910. Serial No. 536,021.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIPP l/VmsoInNG,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, 1n the county of Columbiana and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new 1 and useful Improvement in Tracker-Bars for Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following 1s a full, clear, and ex act description, reference being had vto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates generally to selfplaying musical instruments, and more particularly to the tracker-bars for such instruments and it has for itsobject the provision of means for causing the perforated note sheet to lie tightly against the face of the tracker-bar during the operation of the instrument. As is well understood by all persons who have used self-playing instruments in which a perforated sheet of paper is em-.

ployed, such sheet is affected by weather conditions, the same stretchlng ,or shrinking or warping out of shape so that parts of the.

7 and at one or more perforations on its rear face, the objectbeing to maintain in the tracker-bar a fluid pressure differing from that outside the tracker-bar.

In thedrawings forming a part of this application, Figure l is a transverse sectional view taken through the tracker-inn, the rollers for the note sheet. and the air tight casing surrounding saidbar and rollcrs, the device shown in said figure being adapted for the operation of the instrument by .wind pressure; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the tracker-bar shown in F ig. 1, said figure also showing a part of a perforated sheet; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tracker-bar shown in Figs. 1 and 2; F ig.-t

is a transverse section through the trackerbars shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3; Fig. 5'is a.

transverse section taken through a trackerbar that is adapted for operating on the sucbar.

tion principle; and Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a portion of a tracker-bar of a somewhat modified form.

Taking up a complete description of my invention by the use of reference characters, 1 and- 2 represent the rolls or spools for the perforated note sheet 3. This sheet is fed over a. tracker-bar, the front wall of which is shown at l, the side or edge walls at 5 and the rear wall at 6. Arranged in a longitudinal row at substantially the center of the front wall 4 are the ordinary orifices 7, with which the perforations S in the note sheet are made to coincide as the said sheet is fed. At the rear of each of the orifices 7 I place a metallic tube 9, said tubes being secured to the tracker-barso as to surround the orifices and form a fluid-tight joint with the front wall. The tubes 9 are preferably arranged in two series, the tubes alternating in the said series,'so that substantially half of the tubes extend upwardly at a slight angle and the remaining tubes extend downwardly at a slight angle, as shown in Fig. i. The tubes 9 pass through the rear wall 6 of the trackerbar, a fluid-tight joint being formed with said wall in any suitable manner. To the projecting ends of the tubes 9 I attach the rubber tubes 10 that lead to or are connected with the pneumatics. Extending through the front wall 4 of tlie tracker-bar at one side of the row of orifices 7 is a series of slots 11, and a corresponding series of slots 12 is preferably placed on the opposite side of the said row, as shown in Fig. 2. The slots 11 and 12 are, therefore, preferably arranged in pairs, the slots in each pair lying on opposite sides of the row of orifices 7 and in a line which passes between adjacent orifices so that the slots 11 and 12 are never uncovered by the perforations 8 of the sheet 3. At one or more points in the rear. face of the tracker-bar I attach tubes 13, said tubes communicating with the interior of the tracker- In the form-of device shownin Fig. 1, the rolls 1 and 2 and the tracker-bar are inclosed within a fluid-tight casing, the same consisting of thestationary top, rear and bottom walls 14, 15, ltirespectively and of the front glass panel 175.- said panel beingsuitably packed so as toprovide a fluid-tight casing and yet be capable ofsliding so as to permit of access to. the rolls. The tubes-.10 lead'outwardly throo'ghth'o rear of the cusing and form with the rear wall thereof a fluid-tight joint. The tubes 18 of the tracker-bar also communicate with the exterior of the casing through metallic thimbles 18 that project through the rear wall of the casing, the tubes 13 and thimbles 18 being connected by rubber tubes 19. Fluid under pressure may be forced into said casing through a pipe 20 that is connected to suitable bellows.

The operation of the device shown in F 1g. 1 isas follows :Having placed the perforated sheet upon the rolls and closed the front panel 17 of the box, and having started the operation of the bellows, air is forced into the closed casing so that, outside of the tracker-bar and of the tubes 10 and 19, the pressure is raised above that of the atmosphere. As is well understood, when one of the perforations 8 of the sheet 3 coincides with an orifice 7 in the tracker-bar, air is permitted to pass from the casing through the orifice and the pneumatic tube 10 which leads to the corresponding pneumatic. The interior of the trackenbar outside of the tubes 9 is maintained at atmospheric'pressure by connecting such interior with the atmosphere through the tubes 13, 18 and 19. There is, therefore, a difference of pressure maintained between the outside and the inside of the tracker-bar, so that there is always a tendency for the perforated sheet 3 to be blown through the slots 11 and 12. The pressure of the air on the outer face of the sheet holds the latter tightly over said slots and thus maintains the sheet in close contact with the traeker-bar on both sides of .tion rather than by air pressure.

the row of orifices 7 In Fig. 5 I have shown the tracker-bar as it is used on instruments which play by suc- In said figure, 4, 5 and 6 represent the front, the edge and the rear walls respectively of the tracker-bar. The tracker-bar is hollow, as in Fig. 1, and through the same passes the metallic tubes 9, with which are connected the rubber tubes 10 that lead to the pneumatics. Through the front wall of the tracker-bar above the center is a series of slots 11, and a corresponding series of slots 12 are also located below the center.- Communicating with the interior of the tracke bar is one or more tubes 19% said tubes corresponding to tubes 19 hereinbefore described; Instead of the tubes 19 leading to the open air, they lead to a suitable suction device 25, a partial vacuum being maintained in said device by any suitable means. In this form the tracker-bar is not confined within an air tight casing, so that the bar is surrounded by air at atmospheric pressure. By connecting the interior of the tracker-.

bar with the suction deyice 25, a partial vacuum is maintained within the bar so that the note sheet is held tightly'over the slots 11 and This form, therefore, differs from the previous form in; that the variation 1. In an instrument adapted to be pneumatically controlled by a perforated sheet, a tracker-bar over which said sheet may pass which has a row of playing apertures cons'tantly in the path of the perforation of the sheet, supplemental openings on each side of the row of playing apertures and midway between the paths of the perforations of the note sheet, individual tubular connections to each playing ap erture, a connection common to the supplemental apertures, and means for creating a preponderance of atmospheric pressure on the working face of the tracker bar whereby the note sheet is held to the tracker-bar by air ressure against the portions of the note sl feet covering the supplemental openings.

2. A tracker bar for an instrument of the character described comprising a hollow member with a front wall having through it a row of apertures and another row of apertures out of longitudinal alinement with heldto the tracker-bar by air pressure, the

tracker bar being air tight except for the second row of apertures and an exit opening.

3. A tracker bar for an instrument of the character described comprising a hollow member with a front wall having through it a row of apertures, tubular connections to each aperture extending outside the hollow member, an auxiliary row of apertures on each side of the first row, each aperture of the auxiliary rows having its center on a line at right angles to the first row and pass-- ing through the center of the space between the apertures of said row, and means for creating a preponderance of atmospheric pressure on the Working face of the tracker bar whereby a note sheet having its perforations registering with the apertures of the first row is held to the tracker bar by air pressure, the tracker bar being air tight except for the auxiliary apertures and an exit opening.

4:. A tracker bar for an instrument of the character described comprising a hollow member with one wall having. through it a row of playing. apertures, tubular connections to each of said apertures extending outside the hollow member, supplemental apertures above and below the playing apertures, each of these apertures being centrally.-

located on a line at right angles to the row of playin apertures and passing midway through a space between said apertures, an opening, from the trackerbar, said tracker bar being air-tight exceptfor the I supplemental apertures and said opening,

and means for creating a preponderance of atmospheric pressure on the Working face of the tracker bar whereby a note sheet having its perforations registering with the playing apertures is held to the tracker bar by air pressure.

In testimony whereof, I hBI 'uUII'CO aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. PHILIPP W IRSOHING.

Witnesses:

' R. C. KRIDLER,

, E. 'E. HANNA. 

